I’m partnering with Bob’s Red Mill® to bring you today’s recipe! I absolutely love all of their products, especially their flours and oats. I use Bob’s Red Mill products every day — they’re so perfect for baking!
A few months after I turned 11, I told my dad that I wanted to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums with him. Despite my young age, he still took me seriously, and we came up with a handful of rules: we would stay for the entire game (not just a couple of innings!), keep our ticket stubs (for a scrapbook!), cheer for the home team (unless they played our favorite team, the Oakland A’s!), and I would keep score in a souvenir scorecard that we bought at the ballpark (all of those magazines are still sitting on a special bookshelf in my childhood bedroom!).
Living in Northern California, we quickly checked the two Bay Area teams off of our list, along with the Padres, Dodgers, and Angels during a summer road trip where we drove to San Diego to see my grandparents. With more family in Phoenix and Denver, we also watched the Diamondbacks and Rockies play, all before I finished middle school.
Towards the end of my freshman year of high school, we planned our first “baseball only” trip, one where we scheduled the trip solely to see a baseball stadium, rather than tacking on a game during a previously planned family vacation. As a short and easy flight, we picked the Seattle Mariners for our 48-hour whirlwind adventure.
We arrived on Friday evening, and after a full night of sleep, we walked all around Seattle before the Saturday night game. We wandered through the Pike Place Market, where I fell in love with the plethora of flower stalls selling beautiful bouquets, and rode to the top of the Space Needle, where we could see for miles on that miraculously clear day.
We had a blast at the game (including tons of laughter when we discovered that the concession stand included a few apple slices with their boxes of French fries, which Dad didn’t realize and generously salted the fruit by accident!), but because we arrived back at the hotel fairly late, we decided to eat breakfast at their restaurant in the lobby on Sunday morning before our flight. We both ordered fairly standard breakfasts — eggs, bacon, orange juice — which came with complimentary scones.
I had never eaten — or even seen — a scone before (our usual breakfast restaurants back home only offered toast as a side!), so Dad explained a little about its taste and texture while we waited for our plates to arrive. As a baking obsessed girl even back then, I reached straight for the pastry as soon as the waiter delivered our breakfasts, and…
I nearly squealed with joy. Moist on the inside, a hint of a crust on the outside, and absolutely full of bright citrusy orange flavor… Which paired perfectly with the tangy cranberries.
I nearly forgot about the rest of my breakfast, and after eating half of his scone and watching my excitement over mine, Dad offered me the rest of his… Which I eagerly and gratefully accepted!
Since then, towards the end of almost every baseball season, Dad and I start talking about the stadiums we want to visit during the following year. With the World Series ending in October, ideas for our next stadium adventure have been rolling around in my mind… Along with that extra special first adventure we took in Seattle — and those incredible scones!
So while I brainstorm and plan our next trip (and impatiently wait for Spring Training!), I baked these Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones! They have the same fruity flavors as the very first scones I ever ate back at that Seattle hotel, along with the same irresistible texture.
However, you know me… I like to put a healthier spin on just about everything, and these scones were no exception! This recipe contains no eggs, heavy cream, refined flour or sugar, and I also added oats for another little health and nutrition boost. Even so… Nobody could believe these scones were 129 calories!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CRANBERRY ORANGE OATMEAL SCONES
Let’s go over how to make these healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones!
You’ll start with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Rolled Oats. Quick cooking oats (sometimes called “instant” or “one minute” oats!) are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This is really important! Because of their small and thin size, quick cooking oats cook faster, which gives your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones a supremely moist and tender texture.
Hint: That size and thickness is the main difference between quick cooking oats and old-fashioned rolled oats. They both have the same nutrients and health benefits, just a different texture and cooking time!
For the softest and moistest texture imaginable, you’ll mix your quick cooking oats with Greek yogurt, pure maple syrup, orange juice, and a hint of vanilla. That’s right — no heavy cream in these scones! You’re using Greek yogurt instead, which adds the same moisture to the dough but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy cranberry orange scones a protein boost!
Once you mix all of these together, the oats start soaking up moisture from the other ingredients. This helps them soften ahead of time… And therefore leads to the perfect texture in your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones!
While your oat mixture sits, it’s time to measure one of my favorite ingredients: Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour! It’s made by finely grinding a softer variety of wheat, which gives it a similar taste and texture to all-purpose flour… But it still has all of the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, like extra fiber and micronutrients.
So the moral of the story? By using Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones taste delicious, they’re secretly healthy (from the whole wheat pastry flour!), and they’re incredibly moist and tender too!
I call that a win-win-win!
Although you’ve already stirred orange juice into your quick cooking oats, you’ll whisk orange zest into your whole wheat pastry flour. The orange peel — and therefore the zest! — actually contains the majority of the citrus flavor, rather than the juice. That bright sunshiny flavor is really concentrated in the peel, so don’t skip the zest!
Next, you’ll work a small amount of very cold butter into the flour mixture using the back of a fork or a pastry cutter (← that’s what I recommend — it’s so much easier!). This is a very important step! After you slide your scone dough into the oven, the butter starts to melt, which creates tender little pockets in your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones. If your butter starts to soften or melt ahead of time, you miss out on that lovely texture — so make sure your butter is cold and straight from the fridge!
Hint: This is why I strongly recommend not using coconut oil. It has a much lower melting point, which means it almost always softens or melts while you’re still mixing together the dough. Not good!
Once you’ve stirred in the oat mixture, it’s time for the other fruit component… The cranberries! I absolutely love fresh cranberries, so that’s what I use. (I wish they were available all year round!) I usually pulse them a few times in my food processor, rather than dicing them by hand. It’s so quick and easy!
Before baking your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones, you’ll do two things: {a} brush the tops and the sides with milk, and {b} slice them into triangles. The former seals moisture into the dough, which keeps the insides nice and tender, while it also creates a hint of a crust on the outside. (I love that texture contrast!)
For the latter, you’ll slice all the way through the dough (don’t just “score” the dough!), but I leave the triangles of dough in a circle so they’re all still touching. This keeps the sides just as moist and tender as the insides. You’re welcome to separate them, if you prefer, but it’s not necessary!
Then after a trip to the oven…
Enjoy your delicious (and nutritious!) homemade breakfast pastries! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ????) I’d love to see your healthy cranberry orange oatmeal scones!
| Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones | | Print |
- ½ cup (50g) Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp (45mL) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (7g) orange zest (about 1 large)
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ¾ cup (75g) whole fresh cranberries, diced (see Notes!)
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, orange juice, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the orange zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add in the oat mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the cranberries with a spatula.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. (No need to separate them!) Bake at 425°F for 26-29 minutes, or until the tops and sides are a deep golden color. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour or Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Flour may be substituted for the whole wheat pastry flour.
It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of orange juice.
To quickly dice fresh cranberries, pop them in a food processor and pulse a few times! Frozen and thawed cranberries may also be substituted.
If you prefer using dried cranberries… Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a plate on top!), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. If you let the cranberries sit while mixing together the scone dough, this little trick hydrates them so they’re soft and plump!
In a pinch, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but the texture of the scones will be affected. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
VEGAN VERSION: Use stick-style non-dairy butter in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, and non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, egg free, vegan option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill®. As always, all thoughts, opinions, text, photos, and recipe are my own. To find Bob’s Red Mill® products at a store near you, use their handy store locator here! (You can use the Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour in all of these recipes of mine and the Organic Quick Cooking Oats in all of these recipes of mine!)
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cranberry recipes!
why don’t you have a “jump to recipe” button?
It’s already on my list of things to discuss with my web developer the next time we meet! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making these scones Debs!
I buy lots of cranberries and freeze them with my seal bags they last all year !
That’s such a smart idea Debra! I just might have to do that this year! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making these scones!
What a wonderful way to remember your father. More should take their children seriously when they set goals, especially if it means so much quality time together. Lucky girl!! Can’t wait to try these scones.
You’re so kind Christine! I’m really grateful for how much time my dad and I were able to spend together going to baseball games throughout my childhood. I felt incredibly lucky and blessed! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you end up trying them!
Just make the cranberry orange oatmeal scones. So look good!
MY COMMENT SHOULD READ..
Just made the cranberry orange oatmeal scones. Soooooo good!
I’m so glad you loved them Brenda! That many o’s in “so” is definitely a good sign! 😉 Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Made them this AM as per the recipe. Good but sure miss a little sweetness. Finally ended up adding a little glaze (NOT healthy). Also slightly rubbery. Suggestions?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ron! I’m happy to help you solve those issues. 🙂 Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? What did you use to mix together the dough? Finally, how did you measure the flour — with a kitchen scale or measuring cups (and if the latter, can you describe how you used them to measure)? Once I know your answers to all of those questions, I should have a much better idea of what happened and how to fix it!
Wow, what a fabulous recipe. I made them this morning for Thanksgiving. Delicious, light, tasty!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones Susan! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I hope you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi! Can spelt flour be used instead?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Hazel! I don’t have much experience with spelt flour, but I think that should be okay for these scones. I’d love to hear what you think of them if you try it! 🙂